Boat In the Middle
by Kris1907
Summary: A take on the Luke and Lorelai boat fight previous to the eps. airing- therefore it is incorrect but its what I could have seen happening if they hadn't made up so quickly.


_Here is another short story written weeks ago. It was my take on very early rumors of the Luke's Dark Day eps. and the Tuesday Night previews that we were handed. Obviously, I was wrong and there are a few incorrect pieces but thats why it was my pre-take on the eps. so please, no need to point them out. :) Certain elements of the hints and previews I misunderstood and still don't understand the summary of Lorelai "accidentally" buying Luke's father's boat because she knew what she was doing. That summary totally threw me off. Unfair.  
_

_Disclaimers and Spoilers all in one: So spoilers would be for the Luke's Dark Day eps. that has aired already. And I don't own anything but my incorrect ideas one what may have occurred during their fight over Luke's father's boat. _

**Boat In the Middle **

_November, 27th, 2004_

Pulling open the garage doors, Luke stares straight ahead. The brief moment seems to freeze as he stares at his father's old boat and Lorelai stares at the back of his old green coat. But just as quickly as the doors have been thrown open and the staring began, Luke's voice is heard, "What is this?" Turning towards her, "Why is this here?" His voice continues to rise as Lorelai forgets about how cold her clothes feel on her body, "I didn't ask for this."

"I know- I just- I just thought-" Her eyes move as frantically as the words, unable and unwilling to pause on the anger clearly written on his features, "I was trying to help."

"If I wanted to keep this damn thing, I would have, but I didn't, so I choose not to."

"Quite a sentence there-" His clouded eyes cause the flip comment to die on her tongue, "I'm sorry Luke. I didn't think- didn't realize that this-"

"No you didn't think- didn't attempt to think about this from my point. Did you? Think about what I want? You were thinking about you and what you wanted to do and how you wanted me to react, but never thought about me."

Her mouth falls open at Luke's harsh words as they simply stare back at each other. They have had fights before, but never has she felt this scared and this unsure of herself. She attempts to speak but it gets caught in her throat. Closing her eyes, she shakes her head slightly to remove her fallen bangs from her eyes, "I'm sorry." Lorelai's eyes begin to blink back the beginnings of tears as she looks back up at Luke, :I was just try-"

Luke's violent shake of his head causes her comment to fall short of completion as he raises his hands to emphasize his words, "You don't have any respect for what I want."

Those final words cause Luke's heavy jacket to brush past her and move down the driveway. She watches him go as anger and fear sets in within her, forcing her to run after him. Lorelai's arms finally move from their statue-like position at her side and she cringes at the extra chill that her movements have created. She catches his arm to stop his motion, "Wait. I'm sorry. I truly am. But just wait a damn minute and let me explain some. I-I- hell, I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea because I know how you get when things involve your dad. How you cherish it, but that's also why I did it." Her hands move with the beat of her words as she hopes her long continuous rant will keep him put, "I don't have many answers because there you were, yelling at the poor old lady about a boat and telling her to just dump it when you obviously care about the boat or you wouldn't be giving a nice old lady a heart attack like that. Was a crazy Alfred Hitchcock moment there, let me tell ya." She can see he is tiring of her rant and lets a sigh slip through her lips, "There wasn't much time. She was going to trash it and all I knew is that I couldn't let that happen. Not like this. Not that fast because what if you chilled and then realized you made a mistake? So I didn't mean for you to find out like this-" She takes n a quick and loud breath to halt his response, "Not because I thought I was wrong but because I was going to do it slowly. Going to see what you were thinking and feeling after you got over your Hitchcock persona."

Lorelai looks down at her feet as silence fills the brisk air. She watches as her breath is seen in front of her as she takes in even breaths before finally rubbing a hand over her face, "Urgh!" She kicks at an imaginary stone and turns slightly away from him to look back at her porch, immediately sucking in a chilling breath and rubbing her hands over her arms.

"You should go in."

"After you."

"No."

"Then you should offer me your coat."

"Lorelai, go inside because right now I don't care. You had no right to get involved- its my life, my choice and my privacy."

"And I'm your girlfriend! Does that mean nothing?"

"Doesn't give you the right to invade m-"

Holding up a hand, she overpowers his voice, "Don't say it! We're in a relationship, Luke. A relationship- meaning no more you and me- its us and had you told me about the boat then I could understand, but instead you sneak out in the middle of the night and have creepy, 'let me see if I can be insensitive enough to an ancient one to see if she'll die right here in front of me' moments- what am I to think? Hell, you could be having an affair with Miss Patty for all I know."

"Loreali, even in a relationship you can keep some things to yourself and if you were so curious, you could have asked and not taken it upon yourself to play James Bond. I have to go."

This time Lorelai does not stop him. She watches him go before bending her head in defeat and reaching up to brush away a tear, "Urgh." Letting out a chattering breath, she heads towards her porch- tossing a glance at Babette's house before entering her own.

_November 29th, 2004_

Pulling his t-shirt over his head, Luke tugs the material down over his chest before running a quick hand through his hair. He moves over to his bed, pulling the sheet and the comforter back over the pillows and finally moves towards the door- grabbing his flannel shirt and baseball cap as he passes.

Luke jogs down the steps, but slows as he notices the brightness of the diner. Stepping through the curtain, his eyes adjust as he scans he room. His eyes narrow slightly before a gentle smile tugs at his lips. He tosses the clothing articles in his left hand onto the nearby table as he moves behind the counter. Curious eyes never leave te sleep female as he leans over and kisses her cheek and then places another light one over her eye lid before whispering, "Good morning."

"Hmmm…" She groans and begins to shift, "Coffee."

"You slept at the right place."

"Huhm?" Her eyes open briefly before closing back up and a half asleep voice mumbles out, "Where am I?"

"At the diner."

"Nice." Her smile grows, but all expression drains from her face as her mind begins to wake up, "Oh gawd…" A 'Luke' is spoken but is very muffled as she buries her face into the crook of her arm, "Not awake enough for this." Openly groaning, she slides her hands on the smooth counter before pushing herself up into a sitting position and allowing her hands to support her head, "What the hell?"

"Could say the same myself." Luke turns and flips the switch to heat up the large machine as he begins to scoop out the coffee beans, "Any particular reason you slept at my counter?"

"Thought the chairs looked too uncomfortable."

"Good reason." Pouring the water, he steps back and double-checks before turning back to Lorelai, "How's the neck?"

"Not nearly as bad as my back." He stares at her, watching the hidden expressions in her face and body as her eye lids hang low, "I came here last ni-"

"Broke in, you mean."

"Can't break in if I have the key."

"Should have known better-"

"Exactly, I would never brake into anywhere-"

Smirking very slightly, "I meant give you a key."

Lorelai sticks her tongue out at him, "Whatever." Pushing her bangs behind her ear, her fingers naturally continue to battle with a stray piece as she finishes her previous comment, "I came here to leave you a note, but…" Se begins to search, "But… I, uh, slept on it," She moves forward to look over the other side of the counter before sitting back down, "and now its goooone," Leaning over to her right side, Lorelai disappears behind the counter and reaches for the forgotten letter before pulling herself back up, "Got it. Wow…" Making a face at the dust falling from it, she swats the particulars away, "do you ever dust under here?" Shaking the letter dramatically, Luke rolls his eyes and reaches for the piece of paper, but it is pulled back, "I can't give you this."

"Why not? Its for me, isn't it?"

"Is but its all dirty from your unwashed floor and crumpled because I slept on it- probably drooled on it."

"You've drooled on my pillows and I still keep those without an issue."

"Gawd-" Her nose scrunches up at the horror of such a comment, "that should never be rationalized.

"Sorry, can I have it?"

"No."

"Then is there a reason you're still here?"

"Coffee." His face steels and Lorelai knows she is pushing the wrong buttons. She watches him pour the dark liquid into a cup and places it down in front of her. Cupping her hands around it, "Pretty cold morning."

"Not bad for it being almost December. You're just lucky you turned up the thermostat while writing."

"True." Not questioning how he knew or why he noticed, "Think we'll get snow?"

"Sooner or later."

"For Christmas?"

She looks so much like a little child with her hopeful expression peering out behind the large red mug that Luke can't help but smile, "Always."

Lorelai takes a sip and closes her eyes, "I'm sorry. For everything. It's why I came. But I couldn't wake you- wasn't sure you'd listen. Hell, I sure wouldn't if you woke me up at 3am to tell me something so I wrote you a note. Explained everything- whitewash's easy."

"I bet now. Did it all on that one page?"

"I wrote small." He nods, but says nothing. The only noise in the diner is the clinking of the coffee cup upon the counter. "You're going to have to open soon." She doesn't look up and doesn't hear any reply to her rhetorical question. "I wanted to help and sometimes, I should know, that doesn't work out the way you expect it to. I kept seeing you disappear and you know me, I have to know all. Not much better than Ms. Patty. Hell, questioned her about a random man wandering around at night and got nothing but Kirk on night patrol. Then I found you yelling at the old lady- old, ancient, feeble, bake ya a hell of a mean cookie lady and I didn't know what to think. Suddenly there was attack of the killer tomatoes Luke and this boat I never even heard of and you saying to trash it. You've kept it in her garage for so long it had to mean something." Pushing her hair behind her ears, she pauses to think through what she has said, "I didn't know what to do and Rory didn't either and she's suppose to be the rational one. So I decided that I had to buy it. Practically had to buy the garage. Pretty sure I could bought you a garage. She pauses as she watches his eyes for any kind of a reaction, and smiles slightly, "You're too good at this. Can't get a th-"

"Lorelai."

"Okay-okay. I thought that one day you'd wish to have it back and then I would- well have I. Miracle huh? Hadn't gotten to the how to tell you, when to tell you, how you would react in the long run questions but just assumed it would have the traditional Full House awe effect ending. I've… uh." She stops as she rethinks and reprocesses her next statement, "I've made you give up so much. Repaint the diner. Turn the hardware store turned diner into an actual diner with new tables and little place settings of sort- though manly ones. New sign. Extend the office. Have you spending more time at my house than here and I- - I can't" Her hands move up to punctuate each word, "give any of it back. So I wanted to make sure you didn't lose this, because you were upset at changing."

"But why? There is no reason to feel that way. I choose to change things. Yes, it was you nagging, complaining and suggesting that got me to get moving on it, but you didn't force me. I haven't lost anything."

"Then why-"

"Why so mad?" She nods. "Because I'm not use to people being so involved, especially not with these matters. It's my dad's boat. I haven't touched it since he died. It's his boat. Sits in that garage everyday. And that's how it's suppose to be."

"And now it's in my garage."

"Yes."

"And that's a problem?"

"Only if you ever wanted to get your jeep in there. Its fine."

"Its fine?"

"All of it is fine."

Smiling slightly, "All of it?"

"Yeah and if you can keep it there for a bit, till I can figure out what else to do with it, that would be appreciated."

Lorelai reaches over and sets her hand upon his own, "Its good right there. So we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"Which means-" Using the counter for leverage, Lorelai leans over towards Luke, "our first make up as a couple and thinking this moment gets the complete Full House awe." She kisses him lightly before pulling back, "And tonight, this make up will be much better than all of our other ones."

"Oh I dunno-" He leans forward to kiss her quickly again, "Making up by screaming at each other in the Town Meeting as Taylor broke his gravel- that was pretty good."

Laughing, "It was but this will be better. But I need to go take a shower and show up at work because making up feeling like I've slept in a diner all night is not my idea of good so tonight."

They lean in one last time before Lorelai pushes away from the counter and heads towards the door.


End file.
